While some like to get away from it all on a cruise, there are now plenty of options if you want to stay connected throughout your journey.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean has claimed that it has the fastest internet at sea so guests can
use it for anything from Skype calls to Instagram. For basic usage, packages start at $16.95 a day, and other devices can be added at a discounted additional fee. If you love sitting back and listening to your favourite tunes, or watching great films in the comfort of your own cabin, there are streaming packages from $23.49 per device, per day. If all the family comes with their own digital device, five can be covered for around $11.74 per day for average service. While roaming services will usually be an extra, the available deals are pretty good value for money. Why not check out the Royal iQ app while you’re at it, you can plan your entire trip and keep track of all your activities using this handy complimentary service on board.
Princess Cruises
One of the perks about Internet access on these cruises is the option of using on board facilities instead of your own devices. The Internet café is open through all hours of the night and wireless internet can be used anywhere on the ship. The more you want to use the Internet, the cheaper it is per minute! If you think you will rarely use your devices while on holiday, you can choose not to select a package and pay 79c per minute, or maybe pay $69 for 100 minutes so you pay 10 cents less per minute. If you’re a frequent Facebooker or Snapchatter, or want to keep connected with friends and family over the trip, you can pick packages all the way up to a $199 package for 600 minutes, which means you’ll be paying a cool 33c per minute for your usage.
MSC Cruises
A package at $5.70 per day or $21. 70 for a seven night cruise on this liner will get you access anytime anywhere on the ship to social media. This is a great deal for anyone wanting to post their latest pick with a polar bear or a sweet surfing snap.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Similarly to Royal Caribbean, these ships offer different packages depending on how you will be using your Internet. There is a $6.45 per day social media package, a $20.65 a day Internet access package, and a $32.30 package for streaming. If you are planning on using the Internet for the whole cruise, you can also access some great discounts. The packages are per device, and mean that you don’t have to pay for what you don’t use.
Like most things, it pays to shop around. First consider if you really need or want the Internet while on your cruise, then talk to cruise ship staff about the best plan for you.
I loved my Royal Caribbean cruise but I found the Internet speed was extremely slow. Although RC claim Voom is the fastest Internet at sea (supposedly you can stream videos) I had trouble just downloading emails and access websites. The speed tests I did showed average speeds between 0.05 and 0.73 Mbps.
Thank you for the pricing guide for each company. Unfortunately, the price paid for the number of minutes purchased may be a false measure of value because ship internet can be very slow. Even late at night, when one would expect most passengers to be asleep, the ship internet can be slower than pre-broadband speeds. Even the ship’s own computers in it’s “Internet Cafe” can be very slow. It would be great to see another article reviewing download speeds and actual cost per megabit.